TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Women’s organizations, students, panchayat members, citizens who trooped to the city to press for a roll back of bar timings to 11 pm and discuss the future course of action, resolved to launch an awareness campaign to show that there is more long-term loss than revenue gained, by keeping bars open during the whole night till dawn, and 24 hours in casinos.
They have decided to assemble on May 12 at Ambedkar Park , opposite Panjim Kadamba bus terminus, and publicly express their opposition to keeping bars open beyond 11 pm.
The women’s groups gave a memorandum to the chief minister asking him to issue a notification to close bars at 11 pm and also give them an appointment.
A memorandum was also handed to Excise Commissioner. The casinos have bars open 24 hours, five star hotels till 5 am and selected bars in municipal and coastal areas are open till 4 am and all other bars till 1 am on payment of additional fees.
The women’s groups have alleged that the chief minister refuses to give them an appointment. However, the chief minister, when asked for a reaction to this allegation, questioned, why nobody had objected when the previous government had kept bars open till 5 am.
He however said that all permissions for the late night bars were kept on hold and the policy would be reviewed and only then will permissions be given.
